Monthly Archives: July 2013

Does Quantum Physics Make it Easier to Believe in God? By Stephen M. Barr

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Not in any direct way. That is, it doesn’t provide an argument for the existence of God.  But it does so indirectly, by providing an argument against the philosophy called materialism (or “physicalism”), which is the main intellectual opponent of belief in God in today’s world.

Materialism is an atheistic philosophy that says that all of reality is reducible to matter and its interactions. It has gained ground because many people think that it’s supported by science. They think that physics has shown the material world to be a closed system of cause and effect, sealed off from the influence of any non-physical realities — if any there be. Since our minds and thoughts obviously do affect the physical world, it would follow that they are themselves merely physical phenomena. No room for a spiritual soul or free will: for materialists we are just “machines made of meat.”

Quantum mechanics, however, throws a monkey wrench into this simple mechanical view of things.  No less a figure than Eugene Wigner, a Nobel Prize winner in physics, claimed that materialism — at least with regard to the human mind — is not “logically consistent with present quantum mechanics.” And on the basis of quantum mechanics, Sir Rudolf Peierls, another great 20th-century physicist, said, “the premise that you can describe in terms of physics the whole function of a human being … including [his] knowledge, and [his] consciousness, is untenable. There is still something missing.”

How, one might ask, can quantum mechanics have anything to say about the human mind?  Isn’t it about things that can be physically measured, such as particles and forces?  It is; but while minds cannot be measured, it is ultimately minds that do the measuring. And that, as we shall see, is a fact that cannot be ignored in trying to make sense of quantum mechanics.  If one claims that it is possible (in principle) to give a complete physical description of what goes on during a measurement — including the mind of the person who is doing the measuring — one is led into severe difficulties. This was pointed out in the 1930s by the great mathematician John von Neumann.  Though I cannot go into technicalities in an essay such as this, I will try to sketch the argument.Click link to read full article;

https://www.bigquestionsonline.com/content/does-quantum-physics-make-it-easier-believe-god

( Posted By F. Sheikh )

‘Military Coup-A Sad Day In Egypt’ By F. Sheikh

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Both Islamists and liberals are the losers and both played their part in this sad saga. After getting elected as President, Mr. Morsi acted as a dictator, violated minority rights, unilaterally imposed Muslim Brotherhood agenda and broke every democratic norm. He was incompetent and short-sighted.

The opposition mainly composed of liberals and secularists never accepted the free democratic election results and used all the energies to undermine the democratic process. They asked for military intervention and forgot that all the previous dictators came from military. They had no patience to wait for the next elections and they were as short-sighted as Islamists.

Samer Shehata, Associate professor of International Studies at University Of Oklahoma writes:

“  Fair elections have improved the Brotherhood’s campaign skills. But it hasn’t fully committed to pluralism or to equal rights for minorities. It participates in democracy, but doesn’t want to share power.

Many in the opposition, on the other hand, believe fiercely in minority rights, personal freedoms, civil liberties and electoral coalition-building — as long as the elections keep Islamists out of power. In other words, they are liberal without being democrats; they are clamoring fervently for Mr. Morsi’s ouster and want the military to intervene. But they have proved themselves woefully unequipped to organize voters. Though my heart is with their democratic goals, I must admit that their commitment to democratic principles runs skin deep.”

I agree with Wequar Sahib’s comments in on the meetings that religion and state affairs should not mix. But the fact is that in Muslim countries Islamists just cannot be wished away. They only can be defeated in democratic process and they thrive in chaos. Islamists win elections because they are more organized and committed. The answer by the liberals and secularist should be to organize and convince the public that they can manage and run the country and will not undermine the personal freedoms of religion. Undermining the democratic process is self-defeating. In Pakistan , despite the religious extremism, the moderate political parties, Muslim League-N and PPP, are very organized and always beat Islamists in fair elections.

Samer Shehata writes in the same article;

“Still, integrating Islamists is essential if Egypt is to have stable, democratic politics. Movements like the Brotherhood are a core constituency in Egyptian society; democracy requires their inclusion. If the millions in the streets want the Brotherhood out of power, they must learn to organize and campaign effectively, and vote them out.

That would be the best way to establish liberal democracy in Egypt. Removing Mr. Morsi through a military coup supported by the secular and liberal opposition could well be the worst.”

F.Sheikh

 

 

‘The Jhang of Abdus Salam’ By Muhammad Hassan Miraj

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For whom the bell tolls

Worth reading article on Abdus Salam, Nobel Prize winner. Mirza Ashraf referred to this article in one of his e-mails. ( F. Sheikh)

Some excerpts;

Other than Sultan and Chander Bhan, Jhang has references which the national history has chosen to forget. One such reference is Dr Abdus Salam, who is intentionally being erased from public memory, unfortunately, on accounts of religion. Official historians stumble upon his reference much similarly as they deal with the chapter of genetics in advanced biology textbooks; staple it and think it forgotten.

Born in the small dwellings of Santok Das, Abdus Salam spent most of his childhood in Jhang. His grandfather was a religious scholar and his father was an employee in the education department and so, it was the mainstay in Abdus Salam’s household. There are rumours that his parents saw a dream forewarning them about his illustrious career and then there are stories about him being taken to school for admission in the first grade but qualifying for the fourth grade instead. Regardless of these anecdotes, his academic life was indeed, a matter of honor. When anyone inquired about his young age and distinction in examinations, he simply raised his finger and pointed towards the sky, attributing it towards Allah. Those were the times of the Raj and religion was a private affair, rather than now when it is determined by parliamentary committees under the influence of protests.

Despite his love for literature, Salam took up sciences when he joined college. He opted for this route for qualifying for ICS, a job much envied by his family but after being turned down on medical grounds; he decided to pursue further education. Cambridge University, those days, offered scholarships for which Abdus Salam applied, despite his frail economic conditions. Between the benevolence of Sir Choto Ram, a minister in the Punjab Government and Abdus Salam’s luck, a candidate dropped off from the final list. The much desired Cambridge scholarship, for which people applied for months in advance and prayed for days, now belonged to him. That year, when people across the world arrived at Cambridge with their expensive effects, a young man from Jhang with his sole steel trunk was also amongst them.

Click link to read full article;

http://dawn.com/news/1022040/the-jhang-of-abdus-salam/?commentPage=1&storyPage=1

( Posted by F. Sheikh)